4.6 Astronomical Data & Collection Methods
Space Technology
Observing From Earth
Telescopes allow us to view space from the comfort of our own backyard. The first telescope was an optical telescope. Optical telescopes collect and focus visible light so that you can see a magnified image of a distant object. Optical telescopes come in a variety of sizes; from small, portable ones you could use in your backyard, to huge stationary ones in scientific observatories.
Optical telescopes are not the only kind of telescopes available. Visible light makes up only a small portion of the radiation energy in the universe. The electromagnetic spectrum shows these different forms of energy.
Other types of telescopes use these other forms of energy to create pictures of the universe.